2024 Hornsby state by-election

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal MP Matt Kean, who served as the state party's deputy leader and as the state's Treasurer under Premier Dominic Perrottet. He held many other ministerial roles under both Perrottet and his predecessor, Gladys Berejiklian. Kean is a member of the party's Moderate faction, and during Perrottet's tenure as Premier was regarded as the faction's de facto leader in New South Wales.{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/they-made-dom-premier-then-he-switched-off-his-phone-the-moment-disillusionment-set-in-at-the-nsw-liberal-party-20230907-p5e2r8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804030637/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/they-made-dom-premier-then-he-switched-off-his-phone-the-moment-disillusionment-set-in-at-the-nsw-liberal-party-20230907-p5e2r8.html |quote=The “unity deal” – an agreement struck between conservatives and moderate heavyweight Matt Kean to manufacture election-winning outcomes – has disintegrated with Perrottet’s looming exit from politics. |url-status=live |archive-date=4 August 2024 |access-date=4 August 2024 |date=10 September 2023 |at=A future of fractures? |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |title='They made Dom premier then he switched off his phone': The moment disillusionment set in at the NSW Liberal Party |url-access=subscription |first=Max |last=Maddison}}

Hornsby is a blue-ribbon seat in northern Sydney, and is one of two of the original post-1927 electoral districts to have only ever been held by the Liberal Party, its predecessors or an independent, the other being Vaucluse.

• Issue of writ – 27 September 2024
• Close of rolls – 27 September 2024
• Close of nominations – 3 October 2024
• Declaration of nominations – 4 October 2024
• Commencement of early voting – 12 October 2024
• Applications for postal voting closes – 14 October 2024
• Polling day – 19 October 2024
• Last day for the return of the writ – 8 November 2024{{cite web |url=https://elections.nsw.gov.au/elections/state-elections/2024-hornsby-state-by-election |url-status=live |archive-date=2 September 2024 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/5Bhc9 |website=NSW Electoral Commission |title=2024 Hornsby State by-election |access-date=2 September 2024}}

{{Excerpt|Results of the 2023 New South Wales state election (Legislative Assembly)|section=Hornsby}}

On 3 August 2024, the Liberal Party preselected James Wallace. Wallace's preselection was unsuccessfully contested by former Deputy Mayor of Hornsby Michael Hutchence and barrister Ishita Sethi.{{cite news |work=ABC News |title=NSW Liberals preselect James Wallace to stand in former treasurer Matt Kean's seat of Hornsby |first=Alexander |last=Lewis|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-03/nsw-liberals-preselect-james-wallace-matt-kean-old-seat-hornsby/104179790 |access-date=4 August 2024 |quote=Former Hornsby deputy mayor Michael Hutchence came a distant second, despite being endorsed by Mr Abbott. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804015510/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-03/nsw-liberals-preselect-james-wallace-matt-kean-old-seat-hornsby/104179790 |archive-date=4 August 2024 |url-status=live |date=3 August 2024}}{{cite tweet |number=1819573087501013402 |user=Preselection_AU |author=Preselection Updates |title=Wallace comfortably defeated former state treasurer Michael Hutchence and barrister Ishita Sethi in the first round. |date=3 August 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240804022049/https://x.com/Preselection_AU/status/1819573087501013402 |archive-date=4 August 2024 |access-date=4 August 2024 |url-status=live |quote=123 Wallace 36 Hutchence 28 Ishta}}

{{Election box begin

|title =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = liberal nsw

|candidate = James Wallace

|votes = 123

|percentage = 65.77

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = liberal nsw

|candidate = Michael Hutchence

|votes = 36

|percentage = 19.25

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|party = liberal nsw

|candidate = Ishita Sethi

|votes = 28

|percentage = 14.97

|change =

}}

{{Election box formal

|votes = 187

|percentage = 100.00

|change =

}}

{{election box end}}

The governing Labor Party has stated they will not contest this by-election with Premier Chris Minns stating "a swing against us would be a massive distraction".{{cite news |work=The Australian |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/blue-ribbon-byelections-vacated-by-nsw-labor-despite-opposition-woes/news-story/fb6d18e1687a1dd5c026dd8cd12b37a8 |access-date=26 September 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240926044152/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/blue-ribbon-byelections-vacated-by-nsw-labor-despite-opposition-woes/news-story/fb6d18e1687a1dd5c026dd8cd12b37a8?amp&nk=3abb95777f6daaaa884364d0e29cf433-1727325722 |title=NSW Labor will not contest blue ribbon by-elections despite opposition woes |date=26 September 2024 |first=James |last=Dowling |quote=“We’d have to put a lot of time and effort and resources into campaigns that we would be unlikely to prevail in, and a swing against us would be a massive distraction.”}}

On 16 August 2024, One Nation announced their candidate as Steve Busch, who previously stood at the 2023 state election.{{cite tweet |number=1824260381663170920 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240816015900/https://x.com/Preselection_AU/status/1824260381663170920 |archive-date=16 August 2024 |access-date=16 August 2024 |title=Hornsby (NSW State, 8.0%) |quote=One Nation have chosen former Qantas pilot Steve Busch as their candidate to succeed retiring Liberal Matt Kean at October’s by-election. Busch also ran in Hornsby at last year’s state election, coming in fourth with 7.9% of the vote. |user=Preselection_AU |author=Preselection Updates}}

The Libertarian Party announced Marc Hendrickx as their candidate on 19 September 2024.{{cite tweet |title=Libertarian Party will vigorously contest the Hornsby by-election on 19 Oct. |number=1836624683703386217 |first=John |last=Ruddick |user=JohnRuddick2 |author-link=John Ruddick |access-date=19 September 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240919045934/https://x.com/JohnRuddick2/status/1836624683703386217 |archive-date=19 September 2024 |date=19 September 2024 |quote=Our superb candidate is Marc Hendrickx.}} The Sustainable Australia Party has preselected Justin Thomas.{{cite tweet |number=1819564608149156344 |user=Preselection_AU |author=Preselection Updates |title=Wallace, a moderate, was Kean's preferred successor following his retirement from politics to take up a role as the head of the federal Climate Change Authority. |date=3 August 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240804024343/https://x.com/Preselection_AU/status/1819564608149156344 |archive-date=4 August 2024 |access-date=4 August 2024 |url-status=live |quote=So far just one other candidate has put their hand up for the by-election, Sustainable Australia’s Justin Thomas.}}

{{Election box begin

|title = 2024 Hornsby by-election{{cite web |title=LA - Check Count Final Results - First Preference Votes - Hornsby |url=https://results.elections.nsw.gov.au/SB2402/Hornsby/Parliamentary/CheckCountPreferencesReport.html |website=NSW State Election Results 2024 |publisher=NSW Electoral Commission |access-date=8 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=LA Check Count Final Results - Distribution of Preferences - Hornsby |url=https://results.elections.nsw.gov.au/SB2402/Hornsby/Parliamentary/DOPReport.html |website=NSW State Election Results 2024 |publisher=NSW Electoral Commission |access-date=8 November 2024}}

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = James Wallace

|party = Liberal NSW

|votes = 24,578

|percentage = 49.93

|change = +6.64

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Tania Salitra

|party = Greens NSW

|votes = 12,713

|percentage = 25.83

|change = +11.54

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Steve Busch

|party = One Nation

|votes = 2,740

|percentage = 5.57

|change = -2.36

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Brendon Clarke

|party = Independent

|votes = 2,205

|percentage = 4.48

|change = +4.48

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Benjamin Caswell

|party = Independent

|votes = 1,680

|percentage = 3.41

|change = +0.54

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Sheila Milgate

|party = Animal Justice

|votes = 1,616

|percentage = 3.28

|change = +3.28

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Marc Hendrickx

|party = Libertarian

|votes = 1,508

|percentage = 3.06

|change = -0.86

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Justin Thomas

|party = Sustainable Australia

|votes = 1,337

|percentage = 2.72

|change = +1.03

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Roger Woodward

|party = Independent

|votes = 847

|percentage = 1.72

|change = +1.72

}}

{{Election box formal

|votes = 49,224

|percentage = 96.75

|change = -0.89

}}

{{Election box informal

|votes = 1,655

|percentage = 3.25

|change = +0.89

}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=50,879|percentage=83.06|change=-8.95}}

{{Election box 2cp}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = James Wallace

|party = Liberal NSW

|votes = 26,781

|percentage = 64.34

|change = +6.30

}}

{{Election box candidate AU party

|candidate = Tania Salitra

|party = Greens NSW

|votes = 14,840

|percentage = 35.66

|change = +35.66

}}

{{Election box hold AU party

|winner = Liberal NSW

|swing = N/A

}}

{{Election box end}}

• Electoral results for the district of Hornsby
• List of New South Wales state by-elections
• 2024 Pittwater state by-election (same day election)
• 2024 Epping state by-election (same day election)

{{reflist}}

{{NSW by-elections 58th parl}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornsby state by-election, 2024}}

Category:2024 elections in Australia

Category:2024 in New South Wales

Category:October 2024 in Australia

Category:New South Wales state by-elections

2024 by-election